


(humans are so fragile)

by harpers_mirror (SapphireBryony)



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Gen, W359 Secret Santa 2015, could be read as shippy or platonic, even AIs can have anxiety issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 08:28:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5450048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphireBryony/pseuds/harpers_mirror
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>> a chess game with Doug takes a turn for the anxiety-ridden</p><p>>>or</p><p>>an AI who is becoming something more than her programming</p>
            </blockquote>





	(humans are so fragile)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @cat-snake over on tumblr, for the 2015 W359 Secret Santa exchange.

AI Operating System ID: Hera  
Assignment: USS Hephaestus Station  
Mission Date: 17 December 2014 (Day 572)

Current Primary Focus Task: Playing chess with Officer Eiffel (GFR #003842) 

Scenario 01/067: What Should Happen 

> The moves are known. I will win as I have won the last 347/347 matches. 

> Officer Eiffel will: 

>> (a) Probably not care. He’s a grown man, right? (If only chronologically.) 

>> (b) Probably not care too much. Let’s be honest. 

>>If (b), then: 

>> Officer Eiffel may decline to play again in the future. 

> Likely outcomes of Scenario 01: 

>> Officer Eiffel will refuse to play more chess and will likely pout for approximately 8.25 minutes before getting distracted by other happenings aboard the station and/or being chided by Commander Minkowski. 

> Is Scenario 01 an advisable course of action? 

>> Does prove competency; upsets 1/3 of human crew directly and another 1/3 indirectly. 

>> **Not advised.**

[Systems report: all systems nominal; engines currently performing at optimum levels but remember to monitor #2 engine. Was running hot on last check.] 

[Life-signs scan: Specimen 34 is on the move but contained to unused parts of the ship at present. Will consider alerting Commander Minkowski if there are changes on this matter.] 

Scenario 02/067: What Should Not Happen 

> Ignore the programmed moves and lose the game. I will lose for the first time in 347 matches. 

> Officer Eiffel will: 

>> (a) Likely react positively. This is good. (Why?) 

>>> (a1) (makes me feel good) 

>> (b) Quickly figure out that the AI running the station should always win something as simple as a chess game. 

>>> (b1) Potentially get angry or feel patronized. 

>>> (b2) Potentially worry something is wrong with me and that I’m about to dump them in the star which I would _never_ do! That one time was absolutely not my fault. Might think programming is faulty. 

IF Eiffel knows THEN → amused? → worried? → angry? (at me? he knows I respect him, right? that he’s my friend?) 

_(humans are so uncomfortably fragile)_

[proximity check: as always, nothing. no empty men, no unknown crafts, no nothing at all] 

[personnel check: Minkowski - bridge, Hilbert - lab, Eiffel - current source of my frustration] 

Scenario 03/067: What I Could Do to Avoid This 

> Manufacture trouble to end this game. We haven’t had a good meteor shower in a while. 

> Likely outcomes of Scenario 03: 

>> Avoid all this needless trouble. 

>>

>>

>> ...what am I doing? 

>> ERROR 

“D-Doug?” 

“Yeah babe?” he asked absently, staring at the pieces flickering faintly on the holographic chess board in front of him. 

“I don’t know what t-to do.” 

“Jeez, hold your horses! I haven’t even taken my turn yet. You’re worse than Hilbert.” 

“N-no. I mean...” She wished she had a human body so she could make a helpless all-encompassing gesture. “I mean about this! This stupid game!” 

At that, Doug looked especially baffled. “What’s to know? You’ve won the last every game, I think you’re probably gonna do alright.” 

“I know! And I d-don’t want t-to! If I w-win, you’ll be sad. But if I _l-let_ you win, people will think I’m br-broken and you’ll still be s-s-ad! Or that I don’t respect you or something else equally bad-d.” 

Doug floated over to her monitor in the room and laid what was probably meant to be a comforting hand on it. 

“Shhh, hey now. Hera, calm down. This game is just supposed to be fun! Something for us to do while we’re avoiding Minkowski’s morale boosters and attacks by our friendly neighborhood Space Mutant Plant Monster! Not something that’s stressful and angry-making. That’s why I stopped playing against Hilbert.” 

Hera waited a moment, trying to order the several confused commands running through what passed for her mind. “I like spending t-time with you, Officer Eif-ffel. I just d-don’t always know how to keep everyone h-here happy. And I d-don’t know why I even _c-care_!” 

Eiffel hesitated for a moment, clearly uncertain if he was even helping, but eventually hugged the monitor. Hera obviously didn’t feel any direct contact from this gesture, but she felt the sentiment behind it clear as she could see the red dwarf outside, and it sent a jolt of happy static through her. 

Doug spoke after a moment. “Alright then, sweetheart. No more chess. No more situations where you feel like you have to choose between functioning as you’re made and making m- making others happy. Deal?” 

Hera felt that happy static again. “D-deal,” she replied, putting as much warmth as she could into the word. 

Doug stayed hugging the monitor for another moment before pulling away. “Alright then. Care to learn a new Earth game that’s got no strategy to it whatsoever?” He kept rambling for another moment about some card game they used to play in his military days, something about betting and wagers and taking shots and hopping on one foot. Hera refrained from pointing out the obvious flaws in this plan and just listened happily. 

_(humans are so fragile)_

_(01100010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01110011 01101111 00100000 01110111 01101111 01110010 01110100 01101000 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01101001 01101110 01100111)_


End file.
